Facebook is planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in building a new computer hardware to power it’s massive growth. Regina Dugan, will head of the new project, called Building 8. The Dugan’s former team Advanced Technologies and Projects Group at Google, a group specializing in advanced technologies.
Regina Dugan before working at Google has been Director of Darpa (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), focused on creating new technologies. From 2012, when coming to Google, has been involved in innovative technologies, modular smartphone, smart fabrics and Project Tango. The Division in which she worked, Atap, began as a division of Motorola. When Motorola was purchased from Lenovo, she switched to Google and stayed on even after the birth of the Alphabet.
Facebook has not yet provided any details of the project she will be working on Building 8, except that “will work on new hardware to connect the world”.
Dugan will develop the hardware that will support Facebook software, completing the work of the division dedicated to artificial intelligence and augmented reality.
The company said: “we will invest hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in this project, I am excited and can’t wait to see the progress that we will do,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Dugan’s loss is particularly serious for Google, a company in which the woman was highly regarded for her ability to combine creative thinking and product development.
“We thank Regina Dugan for her leadership role and for the contribution she has made to the Group Advanced Technology and Projects and we wish her all the best,” said Google in a statement.
Facebook confirmed that Dugan will soon begin her role at the company.